Lock for elevator doors



Jan. 25 1927- C. J. ANDERSON LOCK FOR ELEVATOR DOORS Filed Fe 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 25 1927. 1,615,607

1 c. J, ANDERSON LOCK FOR ELEVATOR-DOORS Filed Feb. 19, 1925 Q mm Jan.

' c. J. ANDERSON LOOK FOR ELEVATOR DOORS Filed Feb. 19 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Jan. 25, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CARL J. ANDERSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

LOCK Eon ELEVATOR noons.

Application filed February My invention relates to looks for elevator doors, and has for its object improvements in such devices.

In the accompanying drawings- Fig. 1 is an elevation of a locking device secured to the wall of an elevator shaft together with the cooperating part secured to the door leading into the shaft;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation showing a car approaching the locking device;

Fig. 3 is a similar side elevation with the cam on the car engaging the roller on the locking device;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged elevation corresponding to Fig. 1, but with the cover removed to expose the interior;

Fig. 5 is a section on line 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 corresponds to Fig. 4, but with the door unlocked; and

Fig. 7 is a diagram of electrical circuits.

On the wall 10 of the elevator shaft near each floor of the building is a plate 11 having lugs 12 in which is mounted a shaft 13. Loosely mounted on this shaft is a lever 14 having a roller 15 on its outer end. The roller 15 is shown mounted on a supplementary arm 16 which is secured to lever 14, but that is a mere detail of structure.

Also mounted loosely on shaft 13 by means of arms 17 and 18 is a lever 19. Also loosely on shaft 13 is a sleeve 20 having an arm 21 and a projection 22, which last interlocks with arm 18. Except for convenience of assembling, lever 19 and sleeve 20 might be one piece as they operate together.

On the side of lever 14 is a lug 23, and between this lug and the plate 11 is a spring 24 housed in by flange 25. The spring 24 acts to move the lever 14 in the direction from the position shown in Fig. 3 to the position shown in Fig. 2. This motion of lever 14 under the action of spring 24 is limited by a corner 26 of lever 14 engaging a part of lever 19.

Loosely mounted on shaft 13 is a spring .27. One end of this spring engages a projection on lever 14 and the other end engages a part of lever 19. The tension of spring 27 acts to hold the corner 26 of lever 14 against lever 19, but permits a movement of lever 14 from the position shown in Fig. 2 tothat shown in Fig. 3. When this occurs,

the tension of spring 27 acts to cause the lever 19 to follow lever 14, but this motion is restrained as will be explained.

Belowshaft 13 and parts carried thereby,

19, 1925. Serial No. 10,204.

and integral with the plate 11, is a box 28 with a cover 29. In this box is a dashpot 30, the piston 31 of which is connected by a link 32 with an arm 33 on the lever 19. On the elevator car 34 is a cam 35 arranged to engage the roller 15 and move the lever 14 from the position shown in Fig. 2 to that shown in Fig. 3. hen this occurs, the corner 26 is removed from contact with lever 19, and the spring 27 acts to raise lever 19, and consequently arm 21 which is connected thereto. This movement is resisted by the action of the dashpot so that the lever 19 and arm 20 rise slowly up to a certain point, after which they rise more quickly. On the dashpot there is a screw 36 (Fig. 4) for regulating the inflow of air thereto, and consequently the rate at which the piston rises. As there is nothing new or novel about this dashpot to distinguish it from other dashpots used for similar purposes, it will not be described in detail. The dashpot is simply a regulating device or governor for controlling the rate of rise of the arm 21.

In the box 28 is a post 37, and on this post is a latch lever 38 normally held against a stop 39 by a spring 40 around the post 37. The free end of lever 38 is in the form of a hook 41, the outer face of which is beveled as shown in Fig. 4. That part of the lever 38 which-is inward from the hook 41 is bifurcated, and in the space between the two branches of lever 38 is another lever 42 which is also pivoted on post 37. The free end of lever 42 is in the form of a fork 43 which lies behind the hook 41.

Secured to the upper part of latch lever 38 is a piece of insulation 44 on which is pivoted a contact arm 47 pressed downward by a spring 48. On the upper part of lever 42 is a piece of insulation 49, and on this is a contact piece 50 arranged to cooperate withconta'ct arm47. From contacts 47 and 50 insulated conductors 51 and 52 extend to binding posts 53 and 54.

The apparatus so far described is secured to the wall'of the elevator shaft adjacent to the doorway leading into the shaft. Preferably it will be placed near the upper edge of the door. On the forward edge of the door 46 for closing the doorway is a plate 55 having an arm 56, and on the end of this arm is a'roller 57 designed to enter into the space between the hook 41 on the lever 38 and the fork 43 on lever 42. The adjacent edge of plate 11 is cut away as shown at 45 to provide for such entrance, and part of the adjacent edge of cover 29 is opened up to permit a view of the roller 57 in position. When the roller 57 is in this position, its location vertically is determined by engagement between the sides of the arm 56 in the sides of the opening 45. The roller in turn determines the position of the lever 42. In this position of parts, the contacts 47 and 50 are in engagement with each other and there is an electrical connection between binding posts 53 and 5st.

When the roller 15, lever 1 1 and lever 19 are in normal position, the lower end of the arm 21 is directly behind the lever 38, and that lever cannot be moved on its pivot to permit the roller 57 to be withdrawn from behind hook -11 so that the door 416 may he opened. But when the arm 21 is raised. then a pull on the door 15 toward the left will cause roller 57 to engage the inner inclined face of hook 4:1 and 'aise lever 38 on its pivot against the action of spring 10, and this in turn permits the roller to be with- (lrawn and the door to be opened.

hen the roller 57 is withdrawn as described, the spring 10 moves the lever 88 down against the stop 39. Inside there is another small spring (not shown) between levers 38 and 12. hen the roller 57 is withdrawn, this spring acts to move lever 4:9. downward with respect to lever 38 until projection 58 on lever 42 engages the back of insulation l-l as a stop. This position is that shown in Fig. 6 in which the electrical connection between contacts :17 and 50 is broken.

lVhen the door is to be closed, the closing movement brings the roller 57 against the outer inclined face of hook 41 and acts to raise that hook so that the roller may enter. If the end of the arm 21 is behind the lever 38, then this action is without effect, and the door cannot be closed. If, however, the arm 21 is raised clear of the lever 38, then that lever rises under this action, and the roller 57 enters. IVhen the lever 38 rises in this manner, the back of insulation 4A- being in engagement with the projection 58 lifts lever 12 at the same time. After the roller 57 passes the point of 11001 11, the lever 38 falls under action of spring 4h), but the lever 42 is held up by reason of the roller being in the fork 4:3. \Vhen this occurs, the contact l7 again engages contact: 50, and the circuit is closed between binding posts 53 and 541.

The cam on car 34: is comparatively long. It has inclines at its upper and lower ends, and is straight between these inclines. The cam on the car, and the locking devices at the different floors, are so related to each other that an incline engages a roller 15 as the car is approaching a floor. When the car is standing at a floor, the roller 15 is about mid-way in the length of the cam.

The length of the, earn, the speed of the car, and the adjustment of the screw 36 of the dashpot are also related to each other. This adjustment is such that it a car is to pass a particular floor without stopping, the door will not be released, but this will be explained later.

Fig. 2 shows the car moving upward, and the cam 35 about to engage the roller 15. Fig. 3 shows the car stopped at a floor, and the parts in position to permit release ot the door. By the time the incline on the cam has passed the roller, the lever 1 1 is moved to the position shown in Fig. 8. in this position the corner 26 of lever is! is moved away from lever 15), and lever it) gradually rises under the .ction of spring 27. It' the car stops at the floor, then the rise oi the lever 19 will be completed and the parts will be in the position shown in Fig. 3. It the car does not stop at the floor it is coming to when the cam first engages the roller 15, then the cam will run past the roller 15 before the arm 21. has had time to rise clear of the latch lever 38. If this happens in this way, the spring returns the levers 1st and 19 to original position without having arm 21 raised from behind the latch lever 38.

Fig. 7 represents the electrical connections for a motor driven elevator arranged to stop at any one of four floors. This diagram is a copy of the diagram set forth in my Patent No. 1,517,042, dated November 25, 1924-, for elevator control, with the added contacts involved in this application. For a complete description of the circuits of Fig. 7, reference maybe had to that patent. Here I will give only so much as is necessary to an understanding of the present invention.

The elevator is operated by a motor M, and receives electric power thru lines I, II and III. In the halls of the building at the different floors are push buttons 1", 2, 3 and 4:; and in the car are corresponding push buttons 1", 2, 3 and d. If it is desired to have the car moved from some other floor to the third floor, and to automati rally stop at that place, then pushing either button 13" or 3" will cause such movement and stoppage unless the circuit is broken as will now he described. I

In the line 60 which leads from contact 59 to resistance 61 I have inserted the contacts 47 and 50 for the locking devices of the ditii'erent floors in. series represented by the characters 1, 2, 3 and 4;. If these contacts are all closed, then the condition is the same as would exist it the line had not been cut and these contacts inserted in the circuit. If, however, one of the connections 4t.750 is open, then closing a push button on the car or in the hall will not cause the completion of a circuit for the motor \I.

When the apparatus is installed in a building, all of the doors are locked. by the rollers 57 on the doors being in their locking devices behind hook 41. At the floor at which the elevator car is standing, the cam on the car has the adjacent roller 15 depressed as shown in Fig. 3. At all other floors the rollers 15 are in the position shown in Fig. 2 as the result of the action of their springs 24.

At the floor at whichthe car is standing, the arm 21 is raised clear of the latch lever 38 by the action of spring 27 which is free to operate when the roller 15 is de pressed. Under these conditions, the door at the floor where the car is standing may be opened and closed by simply moving it back and forth. When the door is moved to close it, the roller 57 strikes the outer incline on hook 41 and raises levers 38 and 42 as the roller enters. WVhen the roller 57 passes the point of hook 41, the latch lever 38 falls to contact with stop 39, but the lever 42 is held in its elevated position by the fork 43 being on the roller. In this position, the contacts 47 and are in engagement with each other. \Vhen the door is moved to open it, the roller strikes the inner incline on hook 41 and raises lever 38 as the roller emerges. hen the roller passes the point of hook 41, the latch lever falls again to contact with stop 39, and the lever 42 falls until its projection 58 strikes the back of insulation 44 on lever 38. In this position, the contacts 47 and 50 are disconnected from each other.

hat I claim is:

1. In a device of the class described, a door-holding latch, a latch locking device, a spring acting to release the locking device, a superior spring acting to hold the locking device in locking position, means associated with a moving car to retract the superior spring so as to permit the inferior spring to act, and a governing device arranged to control the speed of action of the inferior spring.

2. In a device of the class described, a door provided with a projection, a spring pressed latch arranged to permit said projection to pass said latch in either direction by contact therewith, a locking device arranged to hold said latch so as to prevent such passage of the projection, an electri cal connection closed by the presence of said projection within said latch, and an elevator car controlling the release of the lock and itself controlled by said electrical connection.

3. In a device of the class described, a door provided with a projection, a locking device for receiving said projection, a latch lever forming a part of the locking device and arranged to close over said projection. when it is received, and an electrical contact device, said contact device being closed when the latch closes over the projection but open when the latch is in the same closed position with the project-ion absent.

4. In a door locking device, a latch lever arranged to be moved from its normal position to permit the entry or withdrawal of a projection carried by the door, and an electrical contact device, said contact device being open at all positions of the lever when the projectionis absent and closed only when the projection is in the locking device and the latch in its normal position.

5. In a door locking device, a circuit closer consisting of two movable contacts. a latch lever supporting one of said contacts and arranged to be moved to receive and close over a part to be locked, and a second lever sup porting a second contact, said second lever being supported by the part to be locked so that the closure of the latch lever over such part will cause a closure of said contacts.

6. In a door locking device, a latch lever arranged to close over a projection carried by a door so as to lock such door, an arm arranged to be inserted behind the latch so that it cannot be raised to permit the withdrawal of such projection, a spring arranged to remove said arm so that the latch may be raised but normally ineffective to so remove the arm, a movable cam, and means operated by the cam for making the spring effective to remove the arm.

CARL J. ANDERSON. 

